Spider-Man: Brand New Day - SPOILER Review

It's been a long wait, but it's finally here. Tom Holland's fourth MCU movie as the web-slinger, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, hit cinemas today. Was it worth the wait? Does Holland hit a bullseye once again? More than anything, does Spidey still seem to have a bright future in the MCU?

Remember, guys. We're heading into spoiler territory here. So carry on reading at your own risk.

You ready?

You sure?

Okay, well...damn. This is a good movie. It's so good. Is it let down in small ways? Of course! But it doesn't dampen the experience in anyway. Let's dive into it, shall we?

The movie picks up years after Peter Parker erased himself from everyone's memories with some help from Doctor Strange. The climax of 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home left Peter alone in the world, with nothing left but his superhero identity.

Here and now, Parker is pulling double duty as Spider-Man whilst desperately missing MJ and Ned, and he's also starting to go through some unwanted mutations that are causing to be a problem. Then, he comes up against an invisible enemy who is wreaking havoc to steal something called "V-Max" from the Department of Damage Control.

To start off, Tom Holland nails his performance as Peter Parker more than ever. He's now stepped out of the naive personality we saw throughout his earlier movies, and has upped the character into being more mature and moodier. It's a real return to form for the actor.

Then we get returning as Zendaya as MJ and Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds, respectively. The characters have developed...kind of. The only real development seems to have come from them not knowing Peter's place in their stories anymore. But that builds more into the story, which we'll talk about later.

Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle aka The Punisher, is a really welcome addition to Spidey's world. His rough and ready attitude mixed with Peter's persona is hilarious. The brotherly relationship is fun to watch throughout the movie for sure. In terms of Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner aka Hulk? Meh. It's great seeing Ruffalo's Banner as always, of course. But was he really needed? More on that later too.

Then there's Sadie Sink as...yep, we were all right all along...JEAN GREY! Our first official X-Men member to be in the Earth-616 continuity. Sink's a powerhouse of an actor for her age, so it's no surprise that she's being used as a springboard for the new iteration of the mutants in the MCU.

One thing has to be said, and that is Destin Daniel Cretton serves well as the movie's director. I'll be honest, I was very skeptical at first. The idea of Jon Watts being replaced was worrying. Plus, I wasn't a huge fan of the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which Cretton directed. I thought this movie was going to be a miss. But, I was wrong. The action. That fight choreography. The way Spidey swings through New York. Cretton really put you in those big moments and it makes for a real experience. Seriously, see this movie on the biggest screen you can.

Now in terms of story, again, I was a bit worried. There's a lot of characters jammed into this flick. A lot of moving parts too. But, you know what? It all lands well.

We have Peter dealing with isolating himself from MJ and Ned. Then Peter's mutation kicking in. All plus him trying to defeat Jean before she goes too far. We meet Tombstone, Jean Grey, Bill Metzger, and Jean DeWolff, whilst also being reintroduced to Scorpion, The Punisher and The Hulk, alongside seeing MJ, Ned, Aunt May and Black Widow again. This is all A LOT. But, somehow, Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers have spun their usual Marvel writing magic to flesh it all out and make it work.

The stand out moments? Well, that minute on the roof of thinking MJ remembers Peter from a kiss. Stroke of genius and a good twist in having Jean possessing MJ the whole time. Then there's Spidey vs Hulk. That fight was worth it. We can see why Kevin Feige has craved for this to be in a movie for so long. The twist of Jean's sister being involved in the plot, and what V-Max really means? heartbreaking. So effective. Even the opening montage, covering what Peter's been up to whilst MJ and Ned were at MIT. Nice, fun, quick way to get us up to speed.

Now, what let's the movie down? Honestly? Bruce Banner didn't really need to be in the story. Yes, he works as the person Peter goes to about his mutation problem. But, the whole thing ultimately felt shoehorned for a reason to have Peter face off with his big green alter-ego. Again, I love seeing Ruffalo as Banner, but that doesn't mean it can just be flung in and automatically work.

There is also the inclusion of MJ. I personally think MJ, and even Ned, should have been left behind when the Homecoming trilogy concluded. This new chapter in Parker's life felt like the opportunity for us to bring in a really fresh supporting cast - something I did touch on in a previous article (What Could We Get From 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day'?). Maybe having MJ and Ned in some kind of cameo to fully close that chapter of Peter's life would have worked. But making MJ integral to the story felt a bit too much.

Ultimately, MJ does help to close that chapter for Peter, by telling him she doesn't love him and she has zero memories of him, no matter what Peter says. But, I'm going to say it, Tom Holland and Zendaya's personal relationship seems to be what is shipping her being so heavily involved in the movie here. Alas, the story does still work, and it works well, but it just could have been done so differently.

Back to praising, I have to give a standing ovation to the returning Michael Giacchino, who is scoring Spider-Man for a fourth time. Sometimes, with a change of director and a new trilogy, you'll see a swap in composer and a different tone with that. Thankfully, Giacchino was back in the saddle to build on the iconic theme and score from the Homecoming trilogy. It's just so good. Music can be so overlooked sometimes, even though it is usually the unsung hero of movies. They really build on the feel of every scene. Emotional. Action. Funny. And Michael Giacchino knows how to nail it all for Spider-Man.

Is there really anything else missing from this movie? Not much. It would have been good to get a little hint at Jean Grey's future. That would have been fun. Just some unknown character maybe tracking her from afar and messaging someone called "Charles" to say "I've found her". Something as simple as that would have been sweet. But, I guess that would tread on the toes of Patrick Stewart's Avengers: Doomsday appearance. I guess any big mutant developments will be post-Secret Wars.

I think it would have also been nice to give at least some kind of nod to where Peter is headed next in life. Yes, he speaks at Aunt May's grave about not going it alone anymore. That's something. And true, his reconnection with Ned Leeds in the final frames is nice I guess. But...still. A nod to a new love interest could have been fun. That blonde girl who lives in his building? Hear me out, but, crossing her in the building again, heading to the lift, and then stopping the door from closing to ask her name, and she says "Gwen Stacey". No romantic spark, no kind of googly eyes at each other, just a little something to keep us really interested for Peter's future. I'm probably reaching, but just something to give us an idea for where this new trilogy is headed would have been interesting. After all, we didn't get that Venom appearance I was hoping for.

On the whole, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a very good movie. Yes, there's a few story beats and directions I would have done differently if I had it my way. But, what ifs are exactly that. What ifs. The movie still works regardless. The emotion is there, as well as the humour and DEFINITELY the action. The acting is great. The characters are out of this world. And THAT post-credit scene? I can't wait for Spidey to pop up at the end of Avengers: Doomsday and help lead Avengers: Secret Wars. Exciting times ahead as long as Tom Holland's Spider-Man is involved

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is currently showing in cinemas.